The field of this invention relates to input devices and more specifically to an input device that has controls on more than one side.
Controlling an electronic device is typically done using some type of input device. There may be more than one input device for some types of electronic devices. For example a computer has both a keyboard and a mouse. Most TV""s have a remote control input device as well as controls on the front of the TV. Some input devices can control more than one electronic device. For example a universal remote control can control a TV, a VCR, the satellite dish, and even the surround sound. Unfortunately, controlling so many devices has its drawbacks. To be able to control so many devices there has to be a lot of different controls or keys on the input device. Some controls or keys are common to many of the different electronic devices, for example the on/off control. Some of the controls only apply to one of the electronic devices, for example the rewind key may only apply to the VCR. Because of the large number of controls, it is sometimes difficult to find the key the user wishes to use for the device the user wishes to control. For the user to have only the controls visible for the device they are controlling, they have to have multiple input devices, one for each electronic device they wish to control. Unfortunately that means they have to keep track of multiple input devices and switch input devices when they want to control a different electronic device.
For some electronic devices an expert user may want a different set of controls available than a novice user. For example, an expert user of a print kiosk may want controls available for adjusting the gamma of the image. A novice user would only be confused with the advanced controls. The novice user may only want the basic controls to select the size and number of prints.
There is a need for an input device that can present the appropriate controls to the user.
An input device that has controls on more than one side is disclosed. The user orients the input device such that the controls to be used are in a predetermined orientation. A sensor detects which controls are in the predetermined orientation and enables those controls.